Cleaning machine



Jfine 4, 1968 H. J. CLIFFORD ET AL 3,386,135

CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 21, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS I vHowprd J. Clifford Joe Aiaguqqor and Duck L. French H. J. CLIFFORD ET ALJune 4, 1968 CLEANING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 21. 1966INVENTOR Howard J. Clifford Joe A.Duqqer and BY Dick L. French June 4,1968 CLIFFORD ET AL 3,386,135

CLEANING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 21, 1966 INVENTOKS HowardJ. Clifford Joe A. Duqqer and Dick L. French United States Patent3,386,135 CLEANING MACHINE Howard J. Clifford, Phoenix, Ariz., Joe A.Dugger, Rte.

1, Box 90-A, Brawley, Calif. 92227, and Dick L.

French, El Centro, Calif.; said Clifford and said French assignors tosaid Dugger Filed June 21, 1966, Ser. No. 560,378 9 Claims. (Cl. 19-200)This invention relates to a cleaning machine, and more particularly, toa cleaning machine particularly adapted for cleaning cotton for removingthe motes therefrom and a machine which may be particularly adapted forcleaning cotton containing motes and which cotton is generally a wasteby-product of cotton ginning operations.

It has generally been a problem to salvage cotton containing motes andparticularly that cotton which is a byproduct of cotton ginningoperations. Cotton gins are generally unable to remove all of the motesfrom cotton and consequently, most gins have a substantial amount ofcotton containing motes which are generally very diffieult to removefrom the cotton, consequently, such cotton containing motes is of a verylow grade.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide acleaning machine which will remove a very high percentage of the motesfrom cotton and particularly from that cotton which is generally aby-product of cotton ginning operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning machine whichis capable of removing motes from various fibers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cotton cleaning machinewhich is very simple and economical of construction, eflicient inoperation and which is also very durable.

Another object of the invention is to a novel cotton cleaning machinecomprising a pair of counter-rotating rotors which operate at high speedabove arcuate rows of bars and wherein cotton containing motes isadvanced longitudinally of said rotors by means disposed at a helicalangle to the axes of said rotors, such that the material, such as motes,contained in cotton fibers or the like, is moved at high speed by therotors and over the grade bars and advanced through several helicalcycles longitudinally along the rotors, whereby the motes having asubstantially higher specific gravity than the fibers are centrifugallydispelled through the grade bars to a trash receiving plenum and wherebyconcurrently the high velocity beating action of beater members of therotors tends to break up the cotton so as to relieve the motes therefromand to enable these motes to pass between grill bars and into the trashplenum.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning machine havingnovel counter-rotating beater rotors in combination with rows of gratebars adjacent thereto and novel means adjacent to the rotors forhelically advancing the cotton and motes or other fibers longitudinallyalong the rotors for beating the cotton and for subjecting it to aplurality of helical cycles around the rotors and between the rotors, asthey counter-rotate to each other.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a cottoncleaner, wherein a plurality of counterrotating rotors are disposed in ahorizontally axial position and in spaced parallel relationship to eachother and housed such that they receive cotton motes at locations inwhich the peripheries of the rotors rotate toward each other and whereinhelical advancing means in the hous ing is adjustable to various helicalangles for controlling the rate at which cotton and motes may passlongitudinally of the axes of the rotors.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention 3,335,135Patented June 4, 1968 may be apparent from the following specification,appended claims and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a cleaning machine in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the cleaningmachine of the invention, showing parts and portions thereof broken awayand in section to amplify the illustration;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken from the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 55of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 66 of FIG. 1;and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 77of FIG. 3, showing a modification of the structure shown in FIG. 3; thesection line 77 being disposed only to show location of the structure ofFIG. 3 which is modified in accordance with the showing of FIG. 7.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the cleaning machine ofthe invention is provided with a housing 10 supported on legs 12. Thehousing 10 is provided with a generally vertically directed inlet 14disposed to receive material at the top of the housing 10 and thehousing 10 is provided with a downwardly directed outlet 16 adapted todeliver cleaned fibers downwardly out of the housing 10.

The housing 10 is also provided with a downwardly directed trashreceiving plenum 18, all as will be hereinafter described in detail.

Communicating with the outlet 16 is a centrifugal blower 20 or any othersuitable source of vacuum tending to cause air to fiow outwardly throughthe outlet 16 in a downward direction, as indicated by arrows 22 andoutward in a direction indicated by arrows 24, as shown in FIG. 3 of thedrawings. Likewise, a blower or other suitable source of vacuum,designated 26 is connected to the plenum 18 at a lower horizontalconduit portion 28 thereof. The blower 26 is disposed to produce airflow in a direction of an arrow 30 to carry trash away from the interiorof the trash plenum 18.

It will be noted that the blowers 20 and 26 are only used for conveyingthe cleaned cotton and the trash from the machine, but are not used as asource of vacuum to effect operation of the machine, all as will behereinafter described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, rotors 32 and 34 are carriedon respective shafts 36 and 38, these shafts being axially disposed inspaced parallel relationship with each other and operable horizontally.The rotors 32 and 34 are cylindrical in cross-section and each rotor isprovided with a plurality of radially extending beaters, the rotor 32having heaters 40 and the rotor 34 having beaters 42. These heaters 40and 42 are generally vaneshaped, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of thedrawings, and may have opposite sides normal to the axes of the shafts36 and 38 or in a modified structure, as shown in FIG. 7, the vanes maybe designated 44 and may have opposite sides 46 and 48 disposed at anacute angle to the rotor axis designated 50 in FIG. 7, which axis maycorrespond to the axes of the shafts 36 and 38 in the structure shown inFIG. 3. v

The helical angle of the beaters 44 of the modified structure of theinvention, may be arranged to advance material longitudinally of theaxes of the rotors 32 and 34 from the inlet 14 to the outlet 16,however, in the structure shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings,helically disposed vanes are used for this purpose, all as will behereinafter described in detail.

The rotors 32 and 34 counter-rotate in directions, as indicated byarrows A and B in FIG. 3 of the drawings, such that upper portions ofthe rotors counter-rotate toward each other and, thus, the inlet 14communicates with the upper portions which counter-rotate toward eachother while the outlet 16 communicates with portions of the rotors whichcounter-rotate away from each other and the helically disposed beaters44 tend to advance material from the inlet to the outlet, whilehelically disposed vanes 52 of the preferred structure, tend tohelically advance material from the inlet 14 to the outlet 16.

Disposed in the upper portion of the housing 10 is a substantiallyV-shaped baffle structure 54 having its apex '56 directed downwardlytoward the rotors 32 and 34 and directed to a location midway betweenthe axes of these rotors, such that the rotor 34 directs materialcentrifugally onto one side 57 of the baffle 54 and the rotor 32 directsmaterial onto a side 58 of the batfie 54, these sides being directeddownwardly and inwardly so that material thrown from thecounter-rotating rotors 32 and 34 passes upwardly and downwardly betweenrotors, whereupon the material, as it passes in the direction of thearrows A and B and on the sides of the baffle 54 ultimately movesdownwardly between the rotors 32 and 34 to an upwardly directed V-shapedin cross-section baffle 60. The material separates at the apex of thebathe 60 and some of it passes, over an arcuate row of grill bars 62below the rotor 34 and some of the material passes over an arcuate rowof grill bars 64 under the rotor 32. The rotors 32 and 34 at theperipheries of the beaters 40 may have a rotating velocity ofapproximately 3,600 to 4,000 feet per minute. At this speed, centrifugalforces tend to separate motes from cotton fibers, the motes movingbetween the bars 62 and 64 and downwardly into a trash receiving plenum18, hereinbefore described.

It will be understood that when the cotton containing motes or otherfibers which contain motes pass at high velocity around the rotors 32and 34, the motes tend to be worked out from the fibers and whenseparated therefrom, the specific gravity of the motes tends to separatethem centrifugally from the fibers, the fibers tend to whirl around therotors and the motes or foreign matter tend to pass between the bars 62and 64 and downwardly into the plenum 18.

The vanes 52 are pivotally mounted on a side plate 66 which isremova-bly mounted on the housing 10 near an upper portion thereofadjacent to the rotor 32. Similar vanes 68 are mounted on a removableside plate 70 of the housing 10 near an upper portion of the rotor 34.

Since the vanes 52 and 68 are similar, the vanes 52 will be described indetail.

The side plate 66 is provided with a U-shape flange 72 at its upper edgeand a similar U-shaped flange 74 at its lower edge, which flanges 72 and74 fill their outwardly directed flanges 76 and 78, respectively, of thehousing 10.

The vanes 52 are pivotally mounted on pins 80 and these vanes 52 arepivotally adjustable about the axes of these pins 80 by means of a linkmember 82 provided with pins 84 pivotally connecting the link 82 wit-hnormally lower ends of the vanes 52. The link 82 is provided with an end86 projecting from end of the housing 10 and pivotally connected bymeans of a pin 88 with an actuating lever 90 disposed on the outside ofthe plate 66. One end of the lever 90 is pivoted by means of a pin 92 tothe plate 66, such that the link 82 may be moved longitudinally of itsaxis to pivot all of the vanes 52 in unison to adjust their helicalangular relationship to the axes of the rotors 32 and 34.

The vanes 68 may be likewise adjustable and may be of the sameconstruction shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and of the drawings.

With reference to FIG. 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that each vane52 is provided with a substantially L-sha-ped cross-section comprisingan outwardly directed edge portion 94 which is directed toward the rotor32, while one leg of the cross-section designated 96 is substantiallyflat and contiguous with the plate 66. The plate 66 and leg 96 havingopenings aligned with each other at 98 and the pivot pins are extendedtherethr-ough. These pins may be rivets or conventional bolts, asdesired.

As shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the rotor shafts 36 and 38 carrypulleys 100 and 102, respectively, which are engaged by a belt 104 whichalso passes over a pulley 106 driven by a motor 108. An idler pulley 110is also engaged by the belt 104 and this belt 104 extends from an upperarcuate surface of the pulley 100 to a lower arcuate surface of thepulley '102, such as to cause the rotor shafts 36 and 38 tocounter-rotate in the directions of the arrows A and B, as shown in FIG.3 of the drawings.

It will be seen that the trash receiving plenum 18 is provided with anupper edge 112 spaced from a lower edge 114 of the housing 10 andadjustably suspended by bolts 116 so as to permit air to enter the upperportion of the plenum 18 to relieve vacuum in the plenum 18 and merelyto permit the blower 26 to pull trash from the conduit 28 at the bottomof the plenum 18. Thus, the vacuum removal of trash from the conduit 28is prevented from imposing a pressure differential across the bars 62and 64 and the rotors 32 and 34.

In this manner, the air flows as indicated by arrows C and D in FIGS. 2and 3, inward around the upper portion of the trash receiving plenum 18to supply air downwardly through the plenum and trash to carry it intothe inlet of the blower 26. Likewise, the outlet 16 is provided with anupper open edge 118 spaced from a lower open edge 120 of the housing 10.Suspension bolts 122 support the outlet 22, such that air is capable ofpassing inwardly between the upper edge 118 of the outlet 22 and thelower edge 120 of the housing 10, as indicated by arrows -E and F inFIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. Thus, vacuum created by the blower 26 ina horizontal conduit 123 of the outlet 20 does not act in the housing 10to create a pressure differential across the bars 62 and 64 and/or therotors 32 and 34.

In some installations, the machine of the invention may utilize othermeans for removing the trash from the plenum 18 and the cotton from theoutlet 22, as for example, these materials may be carried away bygravity from the machine or by other conveyor means.

It has been found that the machine operates more efficiently without anyaerodynamic effects thereon except for those created by the rotors 32and 34, as herein-before described.

In addition to the bafiles 56 and 60, hereinbefore described, bafillesand 124 are directed inwardly and downwardly from positions above therotors 32 and 34, so as to direct cotton fibers and motes from the vanes52 and 68 in downward directions toward the upper areas of I the rotors32 and 34, respectively. These baffles 124 and 125 cooperate with theinverted V-shaped bafile 54, so as to load the central area between therotors at a location at which the peripheries of the rotorscounter-rotate toward each other and this is the area at one end of thehousing at which the inlet communicates with the rotors. The bafile 54and the baflles 124 and 125 terminate at a location 126, as shown inFIG. 2 of the drawings, such as to permit the inlet 14 to deliver fibersand motes to the rotors at said location, the vanes 52 and 68 and/or theheaters 44, shown in FIG. 7, helically advance the material to the endsof the rotors communicating with the outlet 16 at a location designated128 in FIG. 2 of the drawings, and it will be seen that ends of the barsand the bafiles 60 terminate at 130 to permit the outlet 16 tocommunicate fully with a cross-section of the housing below the rotors32 and 34.

A baflle 132 is disposed at the location 130 and extends upward aroundthe cylindrical portions of the rotors 32 so as to provide a cutoff wallfor the movement of trash which is disposed to move downwardly betweenthe bars 62 and 64. The baffle 132, as shown in section in FIG. 2 of thedrawings, thus extends upward above the bars 62 and 64 to prevent trashfrom spilling into the area of the outlet 16.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications of the present invention may be resorted to in a mannerlimited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a cotton cleaning machine the combination of: :a housing; an inletin said housing and an outlet in said housing; a pair of axiallyelongated laterally spaced and axially parallel cylindrical rotorshaving peripheral portions provided with radially extending beatermembers; a plurality of said members spaced about the periphery of eachrotor and said beater members also spaced apart longitudinally of theaxis of said rotors; means for counter-rotating said rotors, said inletin said housing communicating with said rotors near one end of eachrotor, said inlet communicating with a space between said rotors at alocation in which peripheries of said rotors counter-rotate toward eachother, said outlet below saidv rotors and communicating with said rotorsnears ends thereof opposite said one end, said outlet communicating withsaid rotors at a location in which the peripheries of said rotorscounter-rotate away from each other; a plurality of elongated laterallyspaced grate bars disposed axially parallel to each of said rotors, saidgrate bars arranged in arcuate rows around lower peripheral portions ofsaid rotors slightly spaced from the ends of said beater members, saidgrate bars at locations in which peripheries of said rotorscounter-rotate away from each other; and a trash receiving plenumcommunicating with said bars, said bars terminating at said outlet, suchthat said outlet has unrestricted communication with areas below saidrotors.

2. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein: a substantiallyV-shaped in cross-section baffle is provided with an apex portiondirected generally toward and spaced from the peripheries of said rotorsand substantially aligned midway between the rotary axes of said rotorsat said location in which said peripheries counter-rotate toward eachother.

3. The invention, as defined in claim 2, wherein: a substantiallyV-shaped in cross-section baflle is provided with an apex portiondirected toward and spaced from the periphery of said rotors andsubstantially aligned between the rotary axes of said rotors at saidlocation in which said peripheries counter-rotate away from each other;said last mentioned V-shaped bafile being disposed between saidplurality of grate bars.

4. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein: means are provided insaid housing disposed at a helical angle, such that material travelingaround said rotors will be helically advanced from said inlet to saidoutlet.

5. The invention, as defined in claim 4, wherein: said materialadvancing means includes a plurality of angular b-afiies in saidhousing, said bafiles spaced longitudinally relatively to said rotoraxes and having vane portions directed in a generally helical directionwith respect to said rotor.

6. The invention, as defined in claim 5, wherein: said baflles arepivotally mounted in said housing and adapted to be pivoted to vary theangle of said helical direction; and link means communicating with theoutside of said housing and pivotally interconnecting said bafiies toconcurrently adjust them angularly in said helical direction.

7. The invention, as defined in claim 4, wherein: said materialadvancing means comprises said rotor beaters disposed at a substantiallyhelical angle relative to the rotational axes of said rotors.

8. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein: the said axes of saidrotors are horizontally disposed, said inlet is above said rotors, saidoutlet is below said rotors; and said trash receiving plenum is belowsaid grate bars.

9. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein: means is provided forpreventing a substantial aerodynamic effect around said rotors and saidbars except that created by rotation of said rotors.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,709,281 5/ 1955 Sofio 19-912,836,858 7/1958 Szaloki 19-91 FOREIGN PATENTS 101,352 8/1917 England.1,220,618 1/ 1960 France.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Acting Primary Examiner.

I. C. WADDEY, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A COTTON CLEANING MACHINE THE COMBINATION OF: A HOUSING; AN INLETIN SAID HOUSING AND AN OUTLET IN SAID HOUSING; A PAIR OF AXIALLYELONGATED LATERALLY SPACED AND AXIALLY PARALLEL CYLINDRICAL ROTORSHAVING PERIPHERAL PORTIONS PROVIDED WITH RADIALLY EXTENDING BEATERMEMBERS; A PLURALITY OF SAID MEMBER SPACED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF EACHROTOR AND SAID BEATER MEMBERS ALSO SPACED APART LONGITUDINALLY OF THEAXIS OF SAID ROTORS; MEANS FOR COUNTER-ROTATING SAID ROTORS, SAID INLETIN SAID HOUSING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID ROTORS NEAR ONE END OF EACHROTOR, SAID INLET COMMUNICATING WITH A SPACE BETWEEN AID ROTORS AT ALOCATION IN WHICH PERIPHERIES OF SAID ROTORS COUNTER-ROTATE TOWARD EACHOTHER, SAID OUTLET BELOW SAID ROTORS AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID ROTORSNEARS ENDS THEREOF OPPOSITE SAID ONE END, SAID OUTLET COMMUNICATING WITHSAID ROTORS AT A LOCATION IN WHICH THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID ROTORSCOUNTER-ROTATE AWAY FROM EACH OTHER; A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED LATERALLYSPACED GRATE BARS DISPOSED AXIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OF SAID ROTORS, SAIDGRATE BARS ARRANGED IN ARCUATE ROWS AROUND LOWER PERIPHERAL PORTIONS OFSAID ROTORS SLIGHTLY SPACED FROM THE ENDS OF SAID BEATER MEMBERS, SAIDGRATE BARS AT LOCATIONS IN WHICH PERIPHERIES OF SAID ROTORSCOUNTER-ROTATE AWAY FROM EACH OTHER; AND A TRASH RECEIVING PLENUMCOMMUNICATING WITH SAID BARS, SAID BARS TERMINATING AT SAID OUTLET, SUCHTHAT SAID OUTLET HAS UNRESTRICTED COMMUNICATION WITH AREAS BELOW SAIDROTORS.